We use JavaScript to display content and to speed up the loading of TechNutty, without it you may find that some of the site does not respond properly, please consider enabling it or switching browsers.

The president of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata dies aged 55

The president of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata dies aged 55

Nintendo has today announced that its president and CEO, Satoru Iwata died on Saturday. Aged just 55 the cause of his death was due to a bile duct growth and comes after Iwata took time off for the problem last year when he had surgery to remove a tumour, unfortunately the president lost that battle on Saturday.

Iwata is known for leading Nintendo to the huge success it had with the Nintendo DS and Wii consoles, propelling the company into the same league as the other gaming console manufactures. He first took the job of CEO and president in 2002, taking over from Hiroshi Yamaguchi. Before that he worked as a programmer at Nintendo affiliate HAL where he contributed to a range of games including the Kirby series, EarthBound, Balloon Fight and more.

Iwata was also known for his appearances in Nintendo’s Direct broadcasts, as well as n his Iwata Asks series were he interviews developers.

Nintendo has yet to announce a successor for Iwata, however they did reveal that Genyo Takeda and Shigeru Miyamoto will remain as decision-making representative directors of the company.

Iwata’s death is certainly a surprising one, and will definitely leave a huge hole in the gaming industry for years to come, he will certainly be missed by many within the community.